Florian Gadsby: By My Hands

World-renowned ceramicist Florian Gadsby presents new works in this solo exhibition, By My Hands. Gadsby works from his studio in North London, where he uses iron-rich stoneware clay to produce his precision wheel-thrown tableware and one-off decorative sculptural vessels using traditional tools, techniques and processes.

Gadsby’s elegant aesthetic is inspired by pared-back forms and items of everyday use that are simple and straight-sided, and that he could imagine living with and using. His glazes are subtly detailed, full of depth and commonly glass-like in nature with crackled, iron-flecked surfaces and containing varying percentages of red iron oxide to change their colours from white to blue or green. Gadsby’s palette also embraces whites, blacks and metallics from bronzes to gun-metal.

With more than three million followers across platforms, social media is an important aspect of Gadsby’s wider practice. He creates videos that go into extraordinary depth about the processes involved in making his pots, enabling people to follow his journey from an apprentice to a potter in his own studio. Gadsby hopes his display at YSP will inspire people to create, strive to make better pots and to embrace the craft which he loves and to do something with their hands.

Born in Norfolk in 1992, Gadsby was educated at a Rudolf Steiner School, gaining expert tuition from pottery teacher Caroline Hughes and later taking a work placement at Leach Pottery, St. Ives, assisting Jack Doherty. He later became a studio apprentice for Lisa Hammond at Maze Hill Pottery. Whilst there he was introduced to Japanese master potter, Ken Matsuzaki who he later became a visiting apprentice to in Mashiko, Japan. Gadsby learnt how to use the traditional Japanese kick-wheel to make his established shapes, alongside how to glaze in both the oribe and shino style and how to fire them. Gadsby set up his London studio in 2018.

All works in this exhibition will be available to purchase exclusively at YSP Shop, in-person and online. YSP is a registered charity and your purchases help to support our work.